1.2.4-Sarah1281
Brick Club 1.2.4 Details concerning the Cheese-Dairies of Pontarlier Valjean ate with the voracity of a starving man? Well no wonder given we don’t even know when the last time he ate was and had to walk twelve leagues on foot in one day, likely having just as brisk a pace during the other three days. It kind of makes me sad that Baptistine was able to recall so perfectly (or just made up the parts she forgot) every lilttle detail about the conversation. It really shows that she has nothing else in her life but telling everyone every little thing that occurs. Valjean’s back to calling God good and giving the bishop even more of a title? He’s certainly in a good mood from all of this rare humanity. I mean, seriously, has he ever been treated this well, even before Toulon? I kind of doubt it. He breaks my heart by claiming that the rather shoddy meal is too good for him and I don’t even want to think about Toulon prison food conditions. Kind of tactless to outright call a man giving you free hospitality poor and say everyone else lives better but it’s really not so surprising of Valjean at this point and he’s not doing it to be cruel. Valjean is even in doubt now whether the bishop is even a curate! For some reason Valjean saying that if God were just the bishop would be a curate and the bishop replying that God is more than just (since he is more than a curate) really amused me for some reason. Valjean never actually says that he’s resentful at having his future dictated to him and having to go where the law tells him to go but he keeps bringing it up so I suspect that he is. His travelling schedule is brutal. I wonder if they did that on purpose so the convicts don’t have time to get into trouble. And if Valjean thinks the travelling is hard then imagine how it is for everyone else! Or maybe he had a more brutal pace because of that. On reflection, I believe that the bishop mentioned his family was ruined by the Revolution to explain why he had to flee to Pontarlier and take what work he could find so as to explain to Valjean why he knows what he’s talking about and Valjean should take his advice to have an easier time in Pontarlier. But surely even a fallen aristocrat wouldn’t receive a convict’s welcome. At least the bishop does what he can to keep his own expenses down by not drinking the expensive wine if he’s not going to give his household enough to survive on. I wonder if the bishop’s advice really would have worked out for Valjean since we’ve already seen how good people react to the title of convict. The bishop might know that they are kind and generous and willing to hire those who need work but does that still apply for convicts who need work? I’m glad that the bishop didn’t give Valjean a lecture about how crime doesn’t pay and he should be a better person. He knows the cost of crime better than most and I can just imagine how he’d react to being told that society will hate him forever but he must be virtuous in spite that. That would be the last thing he’d need but I agree with Baptistine that it’s the natural impulse, as if it had never occured to Valjean before and one little sanctimonious sermon could change his life. I wonder about Mother Gerbaud. Did she show up with her child for the purpose of being paid? What did she need the money for? Why show up so late at night? Was it an emergency? We’re never told any of this but even if it was, why would she need the money at this hour? If she was expected why would the bishop have to borrow money from his sister (I say ‘borrow’ but we know it was never going to be paid back and maybe they don’t get to eat one day because of this)? I wonder if she saw Valjean sitting there and, if so, how she reacted. Was this the next bit of gossip? Did the bishop have to hear about this and maybe have people try to tell him it was foolish for years to come? I didn’t notice the first time I read this that Baptistine was the one to go get that warm goat skin for Valjean’s bed while the bishop evidently hadn’t thought of it. I wonder if this was how she ended the letter. I mean, the only reason I can think why she’d write about this was because of what happened afterwards but she just stops it right there. It’s odd to only read half of a letter. I bet her friends are so terrified she’ll be murdered in her sleep when they hear about everything the bishop does to disregard everyone’s safety.